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Holders Chelsea will face a rejuvenated Manchester United in the Fifth Round of the FA Cup with both club’s under pressure to win the competition after falling out of contention in the Premier League title race.

Neither Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri or his United counter part Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will welcome the draw. United are the top flight’s in form team and have already beaten Arsenal away from home to advance this far, while Chelsea, who beat United in last year’s final, have been through a sticky patch since Christmas before a comfortable win over Sheffield Wednesday last weekend

The pairing of two members of the so-called Big Six means Manchester City will remain the bookies favourites to lift the trophy, particularly as they will take on lower league opposition, awaiting the outcome of a replay between Championship promotion chasers Middlesbrough and League Two Newport County.

Wimbledon’s reward for their brilliant victory over West Ham is a home tie against Championship strugglers Millwall, a south London derby which, although not the glamour tie the League One’s bottom club will have wanted, gives them every chance of reaching the quarter finals.

The third South London side left in the competition, Crystal Palace, will travel to League One outfit Doncaster and will be confident of reaching the last eight for the second time in three years, having lost to Manchester United in the final in 2016.

Brighton will be at home to Frank Lampard’s Derby County if they can beat West Bromwich Albion in a replay next week, while Watford, who will be many people’s dark horses given their excellent league campaign, will travel to Portsmouth after their impressive win at Newcastle United.

The will be challenged for the dark horses tag, however, by Wolverhampton Wanderers who, having survived a scare against Shrewsbury Town, will take on Bristol City if they can get through a replay.

Portsmouth OR QPR vs Watford

Swansea City vs Barnet OR Brentford

Chelsea vs Manchester United

Middlesbrough OR Newport vs Manchester City

Please be Newport Please be Newport Please be Newport Please be Newport Please be Newport Please be Newport Please be Newport Please be Newport Please be Newport Please be Newport Please be Newport Please be Newport Please be Newport

The FA Cup draw is upon us!

Retro Corner

Long before the tea-time, something-for-everyone-ness of the One Show took over proceedings, the FA Cup draw was a delightfully wooden, formal affair. Here's the fifth-round draw from 1991, featuring the squeaky-voiced Graham Kelly, of course:

'If you no longer feel the FA Cup is special, that is your problem, not mine'

Millwall were among those to cause a fourth round upset when knocking out EvertonCredit:
CRAIG MERCER

Perhaps, you have been convinced that if you are a truly big club, finishing fourth is better than winning a trophy. It is a trick by the way, a slight of hand. That’s not magic.

Or maybe you are one of those fortune enough to have been born into a family that has always supported one of the few clubs in English football who start every season with realistic aspirations of winning the title, who has been led to believe that winning the FA Cup is a consolation prize. Well lucky you, but you have been brainwashed by marketing men.

714 down, 21 to go...

Another marathon weekend of FA Cup action is (almost) complete, and there are 21 clubs left in the hat for the fifth round of the competition. There are just seven Premier League clubs among that number, with League One's AFC Wimbledon and Doncaster Rovers the lowest-ranked sides guaranteed to be playing in the next round.

FA Cup holders Chelsea, along with favourites Manchester City and a resurgent Manchester United are the undoubted plum draws for the more unfancied sides, and they perhaps may not fancy a trip to Millwall, AFC Wimbledon or - if they prevail in their replay against Middlesbrough - giantkillers Newport County.

Holders Chelsea are safely through to round fiveCredit:
AFP

The draw will be live on the BBC at 7pm, with Mark Chapman being joined by two-time Cup winner Ian Wright and former England international Alex Scott, who won the women's competition seven times. The final tie of the fourth round - Barnet vs Brentford - kicks off at 7.45pm.